Vessel adapted for use as landing place for air lines crossing the sea



1932- P. N. LUCAS-GIRARDVILLE, 1,869,247

VESSEL ADAPTED FOR USE AS LANDING PLACE FOR AIR LINES CROSSING THE SEA Filed Dec.

llllll l| 0 nofbccaj- U h/vi/le lh NTa K Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PAUL NICOLAS LUCAS-GIRARDVILLE, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

VESSEL AIDALPTED FOR USE AS LANDING PLACE FOR AIR LINES CROSSING- THE SEA.

Application filed December 26, 1930, Serial No. 504,870, and. in France December 27, 1929.

An air line crossing the sea between continents and transporting postal matter or passengers, can only correspond to the commercial requirements for which it was organized, when the aeroplanes of the line are adapted for rapid flight and easy handling and allow a sufliciently high proportion between the commercial load and the total weight of the aeroplane, such features being at least equal to those found upon the aeroplanes in use upon the lines which are already organized and are in operation on the continents.

However, the aeroplanes of the prevailing construction are unable to cross the Atlantic, or the like, even when making use of the landing places afforded by groups of intermediate islands such as the Bermudas or the Azores, and hence it is necessary, in order to make such trips on a regular and commercial scale, to install on the surface of the ocean a certain number of floating landing places which can accommodate the aeroplanes when in flight.

It should be further remarked that the problem of the organization of such landing places has already been considered in certain departments for which aircraft is quite necessary. For instance, all the navies are now provided with aeroplane vessels, adapted for the starting of reconnaissance machines and for receiving such machines after their duties have been performed. 0, Obviously, if the vessels thus equipped are spaced apart at suitable distances on the ocean, in such manner that their spacing will not exceed the range of action of an aeroplane, this latter may fly from one floating landing place to another, and can thus cover any desired distance, while carrying a net load compatible with a regular commercial service.

It has also been proved that for a given type of aeroplane. there is an optimum commercial value for the spacing of the said landing places. These considerations will hold good, even in the case of an aeroplane which can readily cross the Atlantic in a single 5Q flight. such an aeroplane would be better employed on a commercial scale if or of its fuel could be replaced by paying freight, provided the aeroplane could make three or four landings on the way.

However, the spacing which proves the best for the commercial utilization of the aeroplane would be too great, as concerns the necessary conditions of safety, for it may always happen that an aeroplane would be stopped in its flight, and it is almost essential, when flying above the ocean, that it may proceed by a sailing flight to a sea landing place, preferably near by, and in all cases not far from a vessel.

If the aeroplane cannot land quite near a vessel, means must be'taken to come to its aid within the shortest time, and this for the safety of the persons and the postal matter, and also to reduce to the minimum the delay in carrying the postal matter occasioned by the time occupied in saving the aeroplane.

The conditions of safety thus specified'will make it desirable that a vessel adapted to take care of the'aeroplanes should be found at every 100 kilometers, for instance.

In the preceding description, the term vessel has been used several times to designate the floating supports situated at the landing places and the intermediate places of safety, which are necessary for the operation of an air line, for in fact a vessel affords a means for the organization of such landing places, which is much better than the enormous constructions which have been proposed under the name of floating islands.

One great advantage of the vessel is that it can be readily moved, and that when laying out an airline, its facility of motion is an important factor.

In the first place, even the floating island should be provided with certain means by which it may be moved. It must keep its position in all winds and in all sea currents prevailing in the landing region, and it must be able to return to its position if it has been taken out of the way by heavy seas and rough weather. i

But even though the floating island should be provided with certain meansfor its mo tion, it cannot navigate, in the proper sense of the word, and as it is obliged to remain constantly in the same region, this will represent a great amount of capitalthat is held up for the sole use of the air line, and its crew is also held up for the only purpose of receiving and starting the aeroplanes when they land upon or near the island.

The vessels which are employed for the air lines upon the sea, and of which they form as it were the bed structure, are on the contrary vessels which are enabled to travel as well as the usual commercial vessels.

In theseconditions, it will be readily observed that s'uch vessels would not be employed to good advantage if they are to move about while remaining constantly near a given point, and it is much preferable that they should navigate in the same manner as the ordinary commercial vessels, such for instance as are employed between America and Europe, either way, at a speed of 8 to 10 knots, provided they are kept at a practically constant distance apart.

This offers no prejudice to the aerial service, as the aeroplanes always know where they can find the landing vessels they need, and for this purpose it is simply necessary that the vessels shall be able to sail at a speed 'which is sufficiently in excess of the commercial speed stipulated for them, in order that they may constantly maintain their distances and will be able to do this in spite of the time that may be lost in the operations necessary when an aeroplane lands and the aeroplane which is substituted for it starts off, or when the same aeroplane starts, if it is only required to take on supplies or to stop for small repairs.

The proper method Consists in the use, in order to afford the safety of the air line and its regular functioning, of a line of vessels sailing at the average rate of commercial vessels and required only to keep their spacing as exactly as possible, and this method is much superior to the system of floating islands. It does not hold up men or material in great amount and without any other use-than to receive and to send out the passing aeroplanes, but it serves to create a commercial sea line which has great advantages over the usual navigation lines. Each vessel forms a movable point for landing or for aid, as has been explained, and it may take on passengers or freight in the usual manner.

On the one hand the method utilizes as commercial vessels for transportation, all such landing places for the aeroplanes, and their number may be increased as much as desired, in conformity to the above-mentioned principles, and this increase will not require an excessive outlayof capital for the operation of the air line; on the other hand, with the use of the floating island, it becomes necessary to limit their number in order to prevent an excessive expenditure of 7 capital, thus using a limited number of landing places and sacrificing the aforesaid conditions of safety when making flights between such floating islands situated at great distances apart.

It should however be remarked that the vessels employed for this use should possess very special features in order that they may serve as landing places for an air line. Such features correspond to the following requirements.

a.Should an aeroplane land on the sea near the boat, this latter must be able to place itself across the direction of the waves and to form as it were a jetty by its own mass,

sending out oil if necessary by the known methods, and it thus creates a sufficient space to allow the aeroplane to land. For this operation, the vessel must be proof against rolling, so that when in the situation just mentioned, it will not roll to any great degree. I

b.Should an aeroplane land upon the deck, this deck must be quite stable both in the lateral and the longitudinal direction. Even admitting that this latter case is exceptional, for the aeroplane should land on the sea rather than on the boat, the normal starting will on the contrary be effected by the use of the catapult and from the deck, when an aeroplane takes flight. In fact, this is the only method that will permit of its handling the postal matter on the way without loss of time, by transporting it from the arriving aeroplane to the starting aeroplane as soon as the former has alighted on the water near the vessel.'- For such catapult starting, from the deck, the starting platform must be quite stable as concerns pitching and rolling motion. In order to carry out the conditions under a., the hull of the vessel itself must beheld against rolling, and this can be carried out by different means, the best being the use of powerful gyroscopes.

As to the conditions under b. it appears on the contrary a diflicult matter to have recourse to the stability of the hull itself. In fact, when the vessel sends out the aeroplane by means of its catapult, it should travel against the wind, and thus it will move forward while diving. down in" the waves.

If gyroscopic or other means were to be used' to assure the stability of the hull against the pitching which would occur during such travel, it would be necessary to provide stabilizing apparatus which are much more powerful than the ones used against the rolling, whileon the otherhand a disadvantage would be found in the fact that the vessel thus stabilized would not rise upon the waves as is required for a regular navigation, and on a rough sea, it would dive into the Waves in such manner that the deck platform would be constantly swept by water, thus preventing all flight.

The starting platform carrying the aeroplane and its catapult must therefore consist of a flat construction which is pivotally mounted on the hull by means of an axle perpendicular to the length of the vessel, so that the vessel can be inclined from the vertical to the necessary degree to allow it to rise upon the waves in the usual manner, and herein the platform can be stabilized, preferably by a gyroscopic device whose power is much less than that of an apparatus which must impede the pitching of the entire vessel.

Although the situation of the waves is usually perpendicular to the direction of the wind, in such manner that a ship running against the wind will move at the same time against the front wave, it may happen that in some cases, at least for a certain time, the wind will be oblique to the waves. If the aeroplane is to start at this time, in order that its flight may be regular, the vessel must travel against the wind, and in this case it will move obliquely against the waves. It may thus be feared that in spite of the stabilizing apparatus used for the hull, the vessel would roll to such a degree as to hinder the flight of the aeroplane.

This can be obviated by an arrangement of the starting platform by which it is pivotally mounted on the hull, by means of an axle placed in the direction of travel of the vessel, and this pivoting, together with the one above mentioned, will form a sort of card-an device. The platform will be pro vided with a stabilizing device against rolling (preferably gyroscopic) which will complete the action of the hull stabilizer, and the platform will thus have all the stability which is necessary for the starting of the aeroplane.

To recapitulate, the landing vessels and the rescuing vessels are characterized by the combination of the following features:

1. A stabilizer for preventing the rolling of the hull, preferably gyroscopic, will limit the rolling of the entire vessel.

2. The vessel is provided with a platform adapted for the landing in some cases, and for the starting in most cases, it being pivotally mounted on two axles, one longitudinal and the other lateral. This platform will carry the aeroplane ready to start, as well as the catapult and all other means for starting or braking, used in case of landing.

It is provided with two stabilizing systems,

with stabilizing means corresponding to the aforesaid requirements.

" Fig.1 is an elevational view of the stabilized ves'seL I Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan view.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view." Y

Fig. 1 shows at 1, indotted lines, the position of the gyroscopic apparatus for stabilizing the hull against rolling.

The starting or landing platform comprises a cradle structure 2-2 which is pivotally mounted on an axle 33; said cradle is stabilized by a gyroscope apparatus 4: (Figs. 1 and 3).

The said cradle carries the platform properly so called 5, upon which are mounted a catapult 6 and a starting track 7 (Fig. 2).

The said platform is mounted on the cradle by means of rollers 8, in such manner that while maintaining a longitudinal stability by its connect-ion with the cradle, it may be inclined laterally from the cradle by the action of a stabilizing device t, if the device 1 is not suflicient to absorb the rolling motion of the hull to the proper degree.

Fig. 1 shows at X-X the inclination which the cradle may take with reference to the hull, and in the present example this inclination is 7.

Obviously, the platform and its cradle are normally in the horizontal position, and are maintained therein by the stabilizer 4:, and the platform will only take the position XX when the hull is inclined by 7 from the horizontal, and which case the line X--X will have the horizontal position while making this angle of 7 with the hull.

For the sake of clearness, Fig. 3 shows the cradle as reduced to its outline, and the cross-beams of the platform are shown in dotted lines. In Figures 1 and 8, the positions of the gyroscope apparatus 4 and 4 have been displaced, so as to show their connection with the platform and cradle without having them projected one upon the other.

The preceding has been given solely by way of example. In particular, with vessels which are sufliciently protected against rolling by the stabilizer 1, the construction may be reduced to a simple platform pivoting on the axle 33 during the pitching of the vessel, without employing the combination of the cradle and platform.

I claim:

1. An arrangement for vessels adapted for the landing and starting of aeroplanes, and comprising for this purpose a hull, a gyroscopic stabilizer for stabilizing said hull against rolling motion, a cradle structure rotatable relatively to the hull about a transverse axis, a gyroscopic stabilizer for stabilizstabilizing said platform againstrolling motion.

2. A device as claimed in claim lvwherein the platform is provided with means movable 5 therewith for starting an aeroplane.

In testimony whereof he has signed this specification.

PAUL NICOLAS LUCAS-GIRARDVILLE. 

